JeremyEbert said:
So one of the 4 Quantum "Spatial and angular momentum numbers" Ms where spin S = n-0.5
relative intensities = k(n+1-k)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_number#Spatial_and_angular_momentum_numbers
Reverse the sign so that you're adding a square rather than subtracting it...
k(n+1+k)
Set a(0) = 0 and a(n + 1) = 2a(n) + n(mod 2)sgn(n-1)
a(n) = 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 2, 5, 10, 21...
Without the 3 leading zeroes, that's this progression here:
http://oeis.org/A000975
Then, for range 0 ≤ k ≤ 8 and n = a(n), you'll get the following set of values:
0, 2, 6, 12, 24, 40, 72, 126, 240
I haven't worked out the algebra, but you can be pretty sure the recursively defined progression up above is this one here (derived accidentally):
A029929 n(n+ceiling(2^n/12))
REFERENCES C. Muses, The dimensional family approach in (hyper)sphere packing..
http://oeis.org/A029929
Next values: 468, 960, 2002...
Via Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADE_classification
ADE Classification
Algebro-geometrically, McKay also associates E6, E7, E8 respectively with: the 27 lines on a cubic surface, the 28 bitangents of a plane quartic curve, and the 120 tritangent planes of a canonic sextic curve of genus 4.[14][15] The first of these is well-known, while the second is connected as follows: projecting the cubic from any point not on a line yields a double cover of the plane, branched along a quartic curve, with the 27 lines mapping to 27 of the 28 bitangents, and the 28th line is the image of the exceptional curve of the blowup. Note that the fundamental representations of E6, E7, E8 have dimensions 27, 56 (28·2), and 248 (120+128), while the number of roots is 27+45 = 72, 56+70 = 126, and 112+128 = 240.
Related progression:
A002336 Maximal kissing number of n-dimensional laminated lattice.
http://oeis.org/A002336
Imagine a crazy universe where lattices actually had something to do with physics and the optimal division of space had something to do with its converse, the optimal (recursively defined) packing of space. :-)
- AC
UPDATE:
k(n+1+k) = kn + k + k^2
Set n to 1/12*(2^k + 2(-1)^k - 6)
Thus, ceiling [k(1/12*(2^k + 2(-1)^k - 6) +1+ k)] = 0, 2, 6, 12, 24, 40, 72, 126, 240... etc.
NOTE that ceiling [n(1/12*(2^n + 2(-1)^n - 6) +1+ n)] does not "equal" n(n+ceiling(2^n/12)), but you'd never know if you just looked at the integer solutions since the progressions with respect to that seem to be one and the same at least for n>-1.
Now reverse the sign back...
xxxxxx ceiling [n(1/12*(2^n + 2(-1)^n - 6) +1- n] = 0, 0, -2, - 6, -8, -10, 0, 28, 112, 306...
... and take note of the 112 that appears in position 8. 112 + 128 = 240 (which follows since 128 = 2*8^2)